


Alex and Luke spill (almost) all to Out magazine

by alley_oops, jennandanica



Series: Citadel: Luke Evans and Alex Skarsgard [149]
Category: Actor RPF, Citadel (Journalfen RPG), True Blood RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 11:31:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14104434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alley_oops/pseuds/alley_oops, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennandanica/pseuds/jennandanica





	Alex and Luke spill (almost) all to Out magazine

[backdated to early summer, 2014]

 

"They're late," Alex grumbles, mostly to himself but still loud enough to be overheard. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and frowns out the window at his empty driveway. He and Luke talked it over and decided that they would do one big interview, with photo shoot, and they agreed that _Out_ magazine was really the only one they wanted to work with. And today's the day. Alex feels excited - although he's trying to hide it - as well as nervous. And every minute that ticks by to stretch out the wait kicks his anxiety up another notch. "God damn it, why the fuck can't people just be on time for shit?"

"Maybe they got lost," Luke suggests, busy plumping pillows and making sure Alex's rental looks as nice as possible. It doesn't really reflect either of their tastes but it shows well enough and the Butterfly House is far too well-known for them to take the chance of advertising they live there.

"What are they, morons? I thought we were gonna work with fucking professionals." Alex gives the driveway one last growl and then forces himself to turn away from the window. He crosses the room and steps up behind Luke to hug him tightly. "You're not nervous?" he asks softly, rubbing his lips over his lover's hair.

Luke makes a soft sound of happiness as he leans back into Alex's embrace. "Not really. I like interviews."

"All right," Alex breathes, slowly blowing out a sigh in an attempt to relax. He lingers in the embrace, drinking in the pure comfort and contentment of being with his lover, the one person on Earth who is capable of truly calming him.

Then the doorbell rings, and he jumps. "Fuck!"

Luke laughs and turns, kissing his husband full on the mouth before he heads for the door. "Coming!"

When he swings open the front door, there are three people and a dolly stacked with equipment waiting on the step. "Luke, hi! I'm Pedro Quinlan, your interviewer." The petite blond man believes in establishing a casual camaraderie with his subject up front: 'Mr. Evans' just sounds much too artificially formal for his purposes. "Kathy Tomaszewski will be your photographer," he says, indicating a tall red-haired woman with a tribal tattoo covering one half of her face. "And this is Jonas McKenzie, Kathy's assistant," a very large imposing man with gorgeous cafe au lait skin. Pedro looks up at a movement behind Luke, and his eyes widen only slightly. "Hi, Alex, I'm Pedro Quinlan. Thank you so much for inviting us into your home."

Alex is surprised at the informality, but maybe it'll turn out to be a good thing. He steps up and reaches past Luke to shake Pedro's hand, and then each of his two companions' hands in turn as they're introduced. "Yeah, welcome. Come on in."

"Can I get any of you anything?" Luke asks, defaulting to host mode. "We have water, juice, tea, coffee. I think there's some fizzy drinks." He'd offer alcohol but they're working.

"Water would be great, thanks," Pedro tells him with a broad smile, but Kathy shakes her head.

"No, I need coffee."

"You already had three cups of Starbucks," Jonas mutters, and she narrows her eyes at him.

"And now I need _more_ ," she says quietly, each word precise.

Alex watches the byplay and presses his lips together so that a snicker can't sneak out. "No problem. Coffee and water. Where do you want to do this?"

Jonas spreads his hands wide. "I was just going to ask you exactly that."

"Great." Alex points and says, "Living room." He and Luke moved some of the furniture around this morning so that now there are a few comfortable chairs angling towards his white leather couch, set in a sort of conversation circle. "Luke, do you need a hand with the drinks?"

"I'm good, thanks," Luke says, watching everyone for a minute, a warm smile flashed at his husband before he turns for the kitchen, grateful for the opportunity to duck out for a few minutes while they're setting up.

Alex settles in on his couch (as opposed to all the not-his shit that came with the rental), and picks up the beer he set out for himself earlier, popping the cap with his thumb.

Sitting down on a slight diagonal from Alex, Pedro looks around. "How long have you lived here?"

"Since season two of True Blood," Alex answers. "Before that, I was in an apartment south of Pico for a little while. And before that..." He grins. "Lots of couches, man. _Lots_ of them."

"And when did Luke move in?" the interviewer asks, sparing a sideways glance at Kathy, who is pacing restlessly around the room.

"He never really moved in," Alex says, trying to explain. "I mean, yeah, he has some stuff here. But he still has his place in London, and we both travel so much that we spend a lot of time flying back and forth to stay with each other on location." There's no way he's going to mention their _real_ home, knowing that would only entice more questions.

"Do you want to shoot in here?" Kathy asks abruptly, staring at Alex.

He shrugs lightly. "If you want to. You can also go out back to the patio and the pool, check all that out and see if you like it."

"What about your bedroom?"

Alex raises an eyebrow. "Certainly not to start with," he answers, irritated by her brusque attempt to intrude further on their privacy.

Luke returns in time to hear Kathy ask about shooting in their bedroom and he's grateful Alex handles it the way he does. "Here you go: coffee," he hands the mug to Kathy, "and water," a glass set on the table by Pedro before he takes a seat beside Alex.

Immediately Alex pulls Luke closer, snugging him up against his side and resting his arm around his husband's shoulders.

"Okay, let's get started," Pedro says with a grin, pulling out his digital recorder and firing it up. "Let's talk about some basic history. How did you two first meet?"

"At a concert in London," Alex replies. "Swedish House Mafia, at the Ministry of Sound. He was dancing, I was watching him dance..." He grins.

Luke grins too. "And I noticed him watching me so I went over and introduced myself."

Alex shrugs, and grazes his lips over his lover's throat. Still smiling.

Jonas smirks a little watching them. Just a bit wistful.

"Was it love at first sight for both of you?"

Luke looks at Alex then back at Pedro and shakes his head. "No. Lust at first sight but not love. Although that followed very quickly for me."

"Ahhh..." Alex crosses his ankles and then uncrosses them again, shifting in his seat. "The lust... Yeah, I'll admit it, I was so completely blinded by lust that it took me a little before I noticed I was desperately in love."

"Desperately in love," Pedro echoes, "I like that. And now?"

"Now?" Alex grins and turns to lick a slow swipe along Luke's throat. "Now, I'm slightly less blind. But still desperate."

Luke laughs and bites back a moan. "Me too. I'm madly in love with my husband." My sir.

Kathy's trigger finger twitches on the 35 mm camera she's holding, and Pedro raises an eyebrow as he watches them. Grinning. "That's awesome," he says, and he's definitely not talking only about the couple's words. "And now you're legally married, all signed and sealed in Spain. I heard the ceremony was beautiful."

"It was," Alex agrees, beginning to gently comb his fingers through Luke's hair. "But it really couldn't not have been, just because the location was so stunning. Right on the Mediterranean, and then we both had family and close friends there. So amazing."

Pedro nods. "And Luke, I understand that your family is very religious. Did they enjoy the ceremony, too?"

Luke feels Alex stiffen at the question, his arm tightening around his shoulders. His husband's protectiveness rising to the fore. "My nana and gransha really enjoyed themselves. I went and picked them up in Wales and flew with them to Spain and my gransha went to Alex's bachelor party." He grins. "But my parents didn't attend. As I'm sure you know," he says, keeping his tone as light and casual as possible since they've only just started and he wants this to go well, "they're Jehovah's Witnesses. They don't accept our marriage."

And of course Pedro already knew that; he's a professional and did his research before arriving for this plum assignment. "Now that you're married, do they acknowledge Alex as any part of your life? Has it affected your relationship with your parents at all?"

"Are you sure you want to go there this early in the interview?" Alex asks before his husband can even speak, his eyes icy and his tone deadly calm. An ominous sign, but sadly, only to those who really know him.

Luke lays his hand over Alex's. "It's okay." He takes a deep breath, wanting to be really clear with Pedro. "I'm only going to make the one comment and then I want you to move on. My parents have made the decision, following our marriage, to shun me, us, and so I no longer have any contact with them and that's all I'm going to say on the matter."

Luke's words plus Alex's stony expression have the intended impact, and even brash Kathy drops her gaze for just an instant. Pedro clears his throat softly and murmurs, "I'm really sorry to hear that," to Luke, and the sentiment appears genuine; Alex relaxes a fraction. "And, Alex? Your family?"

Nodding his acknowledgement, Alex gives the trio a brief approving look. "My family completely adores Luke," he answers, and the smile he gives his husband is every bit as enamored as his words. "As they damn well should." Or he'd be raising a metric ton of shit about it.

"Alex's family is amazing. They're so warm and wonderful and completely accepting of us. It's really really nice," Luke says, forcing himself to move on. "Alex's mum and I both love to cook and she's taught me all his favorite dishes."

"I heard something about that," Jonas pipes up unexpectedly. "I read somewhere you said that you love to cook."

"That must be really great for you," Pedro says with a chuckle and a glance at Alex. "So tell us about your decision to get married. What was the proposal like?"

"Um." Alex's mouth crimps as he glances at Luke again, torn between laughter and embarrassment. "It was... It was very suave. And romantic." Right. Once he got around to it, which was only _after_ he gave Luke the ring.

"He gave me the ring before the proposal," Luke says, smiling at his husband, "a _while_ before the proposal but he did get down on bended knee when he finally did it."

"Right." Alex nods and takes Luke's hand in his, linking their fingers together. "And in that moment when I was kneeling on the ground, I swear my heart just stopped. I was so terrified to ask him, and I was also terrified that he'd say no."

Jonas, who has been standing by the wide windows and looking at the huge backyard, smiles to himself. He's only been pretending not to listen.

"Luke, were you expecting Alex to propose? Did you have a feeling it was coming?"

"No, not at all," Luke says softly, shaking his head. "When he first gave me the ring, I thought for a moment... but then I just accepted it as a symbol of our commitment to each other. I'd completely put anything else out of my mind by the time he actually proposed. And although he would have got around to it eventually," he adds, giving Alex's fingers a squeeze, "I'm not sure it would've happened when it did if it hadn't been for his family teasing us about it looking like a wedding ring."

Blowing out a soft sigh, Alex shakes his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Also true," he confesses.

"Had the two of you ever talked about marriage at all, before that?"

"I..." Alex looks at Luke in question, "I'm pretty sure it never came up at all. Neither of us was really looking in that direction," he explains. "Marriage wasn't something I was at all interested in, until I was with Luke. He... he truly transformed my world, in so many ways."

Luke just smiles at Alex for a long moment, so completely in love with his husband. "Um. I just assumed as a gay man that it wasn't an option. At least it wasn't while I was growing up, not back home anyway, and I'd never met anyone I... wanted to spend my life with, until Alex."

_Christ_. Entranced by his lover's eyes, Alex lifts Luke's hand to his lips and begins to slowly flicker his tongue over each fingertip. It's inevitable that the reporter's next question is nothing so much as meaningless noise in his ears. "...What?"

Pedro shifts a bit on his chair and reminds himself that this is just a job. Getting aroused is _not_ on the schedule. "I was wondering whether you two have talked about having a family."

For another long moment, Luke doesn't answer. He's too mesmerized by the sight - and feel - of Alex's tongue on his skin. God. "Um." He sounds like such like an idiot. "We're... working on it."

Now Jonas is staring too, although he tries to be discreet about it, and even Kathy's eyeroll doesn't seem to have a lot of annoyance behind it. "Adoption?" Pedro asks, unsure whether either of the men is listening to him at this point. "Or...?"

Alex licks slowly between the vee of two of Luke's fingers, and only gradually becomes aware of their audience once more. "We're making arrangements with a surrogate."

"Oh, fantastic!" Pedro says with a smile. "Is she a friend of yours, or someone completely anonymous, or—"

Turning to look at the reporter, Alex shakes his head. "No details."

And at least a benefit of their earlier discussion is that now Pedro understands to immediately move on. Unfortunately it also makes him a tiny bit uneasy about introducing his next line of questioning. "Alex, you've had some really high-profile heterosexual romances in the past. Do you identify as gay?"

"Nah, I'm thoroughly bisexual," Alex answers, finally dropping their joined hands to his thigh as he stretches out his legs again. "I always was. Luke is the first man I've ever had such a strong connection with that I actually wanted to build a real relationship.”

Which makes Luke feel _a lot_ like gloating but he hides it well, instead snuggling up to his husband again with a small smile for their guests.

"And, Luke?" Pedro asks, transferring his attention. "Does it bother you any that Alex still finds women attractive? Do you worry about that at all?"

"No, I don't," Luke says with a shake of his head. "He chose me, chose to come out as bisexual because of us, and that's huge. The easier path would have been to find a female partner so..." he gives a little shrug. "I'm not stupid. I know he still finds women attractive, just as there are men he still finds attractive, as do I, but we're married, we're committed, we're madly in love and no one can touch that."

"You might want to change the subject," Alex warns Pedro, though he's busy staring into his boy's eyes, tangling his fingers in Luke's thick dark hair. "Because this is about to get X-rated."

Pedro nods, ignoring the intense pull in his gut, and after a moment of searching blearily through his notes he manages to find a new direction for the conversation. "This will be the final season for _True Blood_ ," he says. "Alex, what's next for you?"

" _Tarzan_ is next," comes the answer. "Right now I'm doing a lot of intense physical training to prepare, and we're in preproduction." He forces his attention away from his husband. "When season 7 filming wraps, I'll pack up and join Luke in London. He'll be getting ready to film _The Crow_."

"It'll be great to have some serious time together," Luke says, smiling at Pedro. "We've been really all over the place lately." Which he's hated with a passion. Enough so that it's actually made him consider not taking some roles.

"While Luke is filming and working 16-hour-plus days, are you going to enjoy playing house-husband?" Pedro gestures between them. "How do you usually divide up household chores? Will it be any different when Luke is working and Alex isn't?"

"Absolutely, I'll be a kickass househusband," Alex agrees with a nod. "Because I'm an amazing provider already: the second we get settled in London, I'll be putting every good to-go place on my speed dial."

"He's brilliant at ordering takeaway," Luke chimes in, grinning. "There's only one cook in the family."

Alex grins back at his lover. "Very true. But I'm pretty good with housework. I do the dishes, I vacuum, clean the bathrooms, clean the pool, maintain the garden. That stuff."

Pedro nods. "How well do your personalities mesh, in general? Do you have a lot in common or did opposites attract, in this case?" he asks. "Do you share the same taste in music, movies, food?"

"I'd say we have a lot in common," Luke says, unable to stop grinning at Alex. "We're not twins by any means. I _love_ musical theatre and Alex isn't all that familiar with most of it but we both like house, techno, stuff we can dance to and we watch a lot of scary movies and shows together. What else?" he asks his husband. "Oh, travelling, we like a lot of the same cities, design stuff, architecture..." Thinking of the Butterfly House, which they've agreed not to mention for fear of being overrun there.

"Yeah, we're very compatible," Alex agrees, and grazes a kiss over Luke's knuckles. "Whatever it is, it's working." There's an understatement.

"All right." Pedro holds up a hand -- its meaning could be either truce or self-defense. "Don't get mad, this is a natural progression: Luke, you've famously enthused over your preference for an 'enormous big fat cock.'" He ignores Kathy's snort of laughter. "Do you limit that to the porn you watch, or is Alex compatible with you there, too?"

Luke just looks at Pedro. Both stunned and bemused. Mostly because this isn't some West End theatre rag but _Out_. And he's no longer twenty and stupid either. God. "I... am not answering that. Let's just say we're _very_ compatible and leave it there."

Pedro smiles and nods, grateful that neither of his interview subjects looks like they're ready to take a swing at him. "Let's talk about your tattoos. You've got two different tattoos but in the same place, and they showed up around the same time. Are those linked in any way?"

"Yeah." Alex may look distracted as he gently combs his fingers through his husband's hair, but he's still paying attention. "We'd joked around about that some, even before the engagement. I was saying that I should get a big Welsh dragon inked right over my heart, to show my devotion to him. Then I said he should get the Swedish coat of arms in the same spot." He grins. "And the thing is, I wasn't serious. I was just joking. But Luke seemed to like the idea and then I was just like, 'Hell, yeah!'"

Luke grins. "It seemed like a brilliant way to show how committed we were to each other, especially when I didn't think marriage was even in the cards."

"Got anything anywhere else?"

Alex chuckles. "These," he says, taking Luke's left hand in his and holding them up, displaying their matching wedding bands. Anything _else_ is none the hell of Pedro's business.

"And no plans to add anything," Luke interjects, smiling at Alex. Unable to stop.

"Stop looking at me like that or I'll have to jump you in front of these nice people," Alex whispers. But the warning is by no means given under his breath.

"...Great." Pedro blinks. "So, you're still in the honeymoon phase?"

Alex snickers, and rolls his eyes. "Next question." People and their assumptions, damn.

"All right, give us an idea of how you fit together as a couple. Is there a lot of drama, does one of you start most of the arguments, do you both have pretty much the same temperament...?"

"Drama," Alex answers. "Drama, drama, all the time. We're actors and very out of touch with reality. It's all about us."

Luke laughs. He can't help it. Especially with the look on poor Pedro's face. "He's pulling your leg," he says. "We don't have a lot of arguments and when we do, they're settled fairly quickly."

"He's very reasonable," Alex says, truthfully this time. "I just like to _think_ that I'm reasonable. But he's pretty much the only person in the world I'll even listen to when I'm mad."

The interviewer nods, thinking it's a damn good thing that at least Alex has some sort of failsafe, especially if that earlier flash of cold fury is any indication. "And what about all the public attention you both draw?" he asks. "Is there ever any jealousy there?"

"Absolutely," Alex answers, without the slightest hesitation. "Oh, wait. Did you mean, do I get jealous about all the attention he gets? Fuck, no. We're not competitive like that."

"Not professionally," Luke says, shaking his head. "We haven't been up for any of the same things anyway. But personal jealousy? When someone hits on him, even though they know we're married and sometimes even when I'm right there, yes, I'd like to deck them or say something obnoxious, but I usually behave myself. I trust Alex to let them know he's taken." And of course what goes on with their friends, what they agree to, that's between them.

"He's lying. He _always_ behaves himself," Alex tells them with a grin. "I'm the obnoxious one. And I'm extremely possessive. But this is all still really new to me," he says, in a half-hearted attempt to explain. "The way I feel about Luke is so incredibly intense, on a whole different level than anything I've ever experienced before. So, I'm still learning."

Jonas smiles at that, and a soft look comes into Pedro's eyes for a moment before he shakes himself and gets back to the job at hand. "That's really cool. We're all so happy for you," he says before glancing down at his notes. "All right, a few last quick questions. Luke, you've been featured on several 'Best Dressed' lists. Do you ever choose Alex's clothes for him?"

Luke grins and nods. "Yes. But only when he asks me to. I do, however, buy things and sneak them into his closet." He laughs and snuggles in closer again, smiling at Alex now. " _But_ I think my husband looks hot all the time."

Alex laughs out loud. "I thought we weren't supposed to talk about the sneaky things," he tells his lover, and brushes a quick kiss over Luke's hair. "This is going to make it difficult for me to go on pretending I haven't noticed your stealth-overhaul of my wardrobe."

Luke laughs. "Not unless you're objecting to it." He gives Alex a look, slightly suspicious. "And are there other sneaky things?"

The expression on Alex's face is angelically innocent... Of course, Luke knows him much too well to buy that. "Of course not," he says, and his tone might even sound a bit wounded.

Dropping his gaze from them for a moment, Pedro tries to hide a snicker behind his hand. "And what about languages? Alex, are you learning Welsh? Luke, are you learning Swedish?"

"Really important Swedish," Alex confirms, heat in his eyes as he grins at his lover.

Luke blushes at that. He can't help himself. "I can barely speak Welsh so he's not learning much of that although I think my gransha was trying to teach him a couple of folk tunes the last time we were there."

"Yeah, he was. I kept mixing up my Bs and Gs, but he said it was close enough and only a native speaker would really notice." Alex shakes his head and covers his eyes for a moment before continuing. "But Luke has learned how to cook my favourite traditional cuisine, and he can pronounce all of that. And at our wedding ceremony I said the traditional Welsh marriage blessing. His nana coached me for weeks first."

"He did amazing with that," Luke beams, clearly smitten with his husband and everything he does. Still. Time hasn't changed that. Nor has marriage.

And damn, when Luke looks at him like that? Alex feels like he could accomplish absolutely anything, anything at all. He smiles back, just as enamored.

Pedro gives them a couple seconds for the goo-goo eyes, a bit amazed by what he's seeing. Then he quietly clears his throat. "Okay, I think we've got enough to work with here, thanks. Kathy?" he prompts, looking up at his colleague over his shoulder.

"Yeah. Let's start out by the pool while we still have that light from the east," she says, pointing. Trying to conceal her irritation at the way the sunlight and shadows on the patio have shifted since she first went scouting more than an hour ago. "Jonas'll style you."

Jonas stands up and smiles at the couple with considerably more charm than Kathy has shown yet. "Do you have anything in particular that you want to wear, or are you going to set me loose in your closets?"

"We'll set you loose with supervision," Luke says with a deceptively easy smile, damned if he's going to let anyone have full run of their house. God only knows what Jonas might find.

"Yeah, I'll just stay here," Alex adds with a smirk. "Since we know Luke gets final approval over what I wear, anyway."

* * *

"Well, I'm not wearing shoes if we're dressed like this," Luke says, kicking his flip-flops free. "Casual is casual," he adds with a smile, pressing close to Alex, his husband looking - as usual - hot as hell in a white tank and worn blue jeans. "Where do you want us?" he asks Jonas, more comfortable with addressing the other man than Kathy, who so far has been nothing but brusque.

"Works for me," Alex mutters -- he never bothered to put on his shoes in the first place. He slips a finger beneath the edge of Luke's black tank-top, lightly stroking tight muscle beneath.

"On the loungers," Kathy tells them, completely ignoring the fact that she's not the one Luke was talking to. Said lounge chairs are oversized and cushy, and she has covered a couple with dull off-white drapes. "Just get comfortable."

"Bad idea," Alex says to his lover under his breath. But he grins and heads over, adjusting his chair slightly then lying back so that the afternoon sun isn't full in his face. And he holds out a hand in invitation.

Luke laughs and joins Alex on the lounger, his body stretched out alongside his husband's, close and tight. "This better not turn into our own personal porn session," he murmurs to Alex.

"I'm shocked that you would even say that," Alex replies, bussing his lips over Luke's. "Because you know damn well that it will."

"We're starting in black-and-white so the contrast between you is really important," Kathy tells them, climbing to the top of a small ladder. "Turn so you're facing each other, but not totally on your sides. Still kind of on your backs."

This part is easier than answering intrusive questions; they've both been taking instructions in photo shoots for years now. Alex shifts to follow the photographer's instructions, his arm naturally finding its way around his lover, hand warm on the small of Luke's back.

"I've never done a photo shoot with anyone I was attracted to before," Luke confesses with a small smile, knowing Alex probably can't say the same. "Not one like this."

The response is automatic. "Good— wait, so what kind have you done? With people you're attracted to?" Alex asks softly, but his lips curve in interest. He gently trails his fingertip over his husband's mouth, ignoring the continual camera flashes as Kathy works around them.

"I mean as opposed to casual shoots, like with co-stars," Luke says, ducking the question as deftly as he can.

"Alex, quit blocking his face," the photographer snaps, and Alex rolls his eyes. "...Co-stars that you were attracted to?" he prods. He knows he's edging closer to dangerous territory. It's just that he's so damn _curious_.

"A few," Luke murmurs, not wanting this part of their conversation to make the interview. "Sam, Liam, Jason..." All safe, all long before Alex.

A small nod. Yeah, Alex can understand all that. "Sam knew," he murmurs, stating up front what they both already know. "Liam, Jason?" he asks, trailing his fingertip down Luke's throat. "Did they know you were hot for them?"

"Hold that," Kathy orders, and gets back on top of her ladder for some more overhead shots.

Luke blushes. He can't help himself. "Yes," _sir_ wanting to come to the fore.

Alex grins. "That's sexy. I like it." He even likes picturing it – okay, nearly. "You'll have to tell me more. Later." He loves the hot flush on his boy's skin. But he doesn't want Luke genuinely uncomfortable in front of their mini press corps.

"Now stand up, by the water."

Getting to his feet, Alex takes his husband's hand and brings it to his lips.

Luke smiles. "I thought it might bother you," he confesses softly, taking his place as directed, the pool behind them.

"I know." Alex nods his understanding. He tangles his fingers gently in Luke's shoulder-length hair, holding him in place for a kiss. "I'm getting a little better."

"Because you know I'm yours, and they're all in the past?" Luke says with a soft smile, humming happily at the kiss.

"Yeah. And because you've never been anything but loyal to me. Even when I'm being unreasonable." Keeping his hands where they are, Alex gently tugs Luke's head back so he can slowly lick down the vulnerable length of his throat.

The camera flashes faster.

"Oh, god," Luke moans under his breath, shifting subtly away from the camera, certain the evidence of his arousal will be caught on frame.

It's tempting - fucking hell, it's tempting - to tease. To push. But their audience today is not their usual sort of houseguest, and so Alex subsides, albeit with reluctance. "You're so goddamn sexy," he whispers, meeting Luke's eyes with a grin.

"Now let go of him, and Luke, you touch Alex instead," comes the order, and Alex has fucking _had_ it.

Turning his head, he raises an arch eyebrow at Kathy. "You're a real bitch of a director, you know that?"

Jonas rubs a hand over his eyes like he's getting a bad sun headache, but Pedro is turning anxious. "Remember that 'tact' thing we discussed on the way over?" he asks Kathy in a low voice.

She rolls her eyes at him. "Fuckin' ballerinas," she mutters, but then smiles sweetly at the pair. "Please, I'd like some pictures of Luke embracing Alex now."

"It's okay," Luke says softly, tugging on Alex's belt loop. "I don't mind." He grins up at his husband, wrapping his arms around him and kissing him, the surest way to make Alex forget everything else.

Alex moans softly and wraps his arms around his husband's waist, losing himself in the kiss. There's no sexual demand behind his touch, for once -- he simply sinks into the moment of intimacy, the depth of the titanium-strong bond he feels between them.

The camera flashes repeatedly before Luke hears Kathy sigh, obviously annoyed they're not waiting for her every order. But that only makes him grin into the kiss, his hands sneaking down the back of Alex's jeans.

Alex grins and gently rubs his cock against Luke's hips, teasing through two pairs of denim. "Are you getting fresh with me?"

"Damn right I am," Luke murmurs, grinning back, eyes sparkling. Another soft groan spilling from his lips. "You're going to have to fuck me through the mattress when they leave," he whispers, brushing his lips over Alex's ear, the words for his husband alone.

"What, now you're going to make me wait until they leave?" Alex retorts, and nips at Luke's bottom lip. "You're playing with fire."

"Hey," Pedro cuts in with a look of apology on his face. "We've got some wonderful shots out here. Did you decide if it's all right for us to take a few pics in your bedroom?"

Apparently Pedro has taken over the job of mediating conversations between themselves and the abrasive photographer; Alex figures that's probably a wise choice. He looks at Luke and shrugs. "Your call."

"Sure, that would be fine. As long as we keep them tasteful," Luke says with a nod after taking a moment to gauge his husband's mood.

Alex nods back, and leads the way through the French doors into the master bedroom. "Do we need another wardrobe change?" he asks the team as they assemble, and okay, so he's half-joking.

"Pajama pants and t-shirts? Boxer shorts?" Jonas suggests, although he has enjoyed every minute of checking out Luke and Alex in their contrasting tank tops and well-fitted jeans. "Just get comfortable."

Alex snorts a laugh.

"How about just pajama pants?" Luke counters with a grin, handing a pair to Alex.

"We can't _both_ wear plaid," Alex teases his husband, and turns to the bureau. Instead he chooses his favorite pair of black track pants, worn and silky. He drops his jeans on the spot, ignoring the crowd as usual, and pulls the pants on, leaving them to ride low on his hips while he yanks off his tank top. "I think I fell in love with Luke the first time he wore those for me," he quips, pointing at the pajama pants in Luke's hands. "They fit him so perfectly... Plus, he was cooking pancakes."

Kathy barks at her assistant to catch the fuck up, having caught Jonas admiring the show just a bit too long. He shakes it off and sets up a large light in a corner.

Luke blushes but god it feels so good to have Alex talk that way. Not that his husband doesn't, but to have him saying those things to others, when he doesn't normally let people in: it's special. He follows suit, dropping his jeans, a tad more shy than Alex as he quickly pulls the pants on. "We still match," he says to his sir, grinning at the way they both wear their pjs so low they might just come off. Which is often the idea.

"Yeah, well. That makes sense," Alex says with a grin, taking Luke into his arms. "We still fit," he murmurs, and kisses his husband like they don't even have an audience. He did try and warn everyone that a photo session in their bedroom was a bad idea, didn't he?

Luke kisses Alex back, their tongues tangling, ignoring everyone around them. But finally he draws back, shaking his head a bit to clear it, his arousal shielded against his husband's hip. "Where do you want us?"

"That's fine," Kathy says, and the approval is unexpected, even in spite of the sardonic edge in her voice. "Just pretend we're not here."

Alex snorts a laugh but pulls the duvet back and lies down, tugging Luke to settle with him. Immediately angling his body so that Luke's - _cough_ \- modesty is still preserved. "Tell me what my most annoying habit is," he says to his husband with a smile, figuring they can throw Pedro a bone with a few more juicy details.

Luke laughs. "Am I allowed to say you don't have one?"

"Yeah, but I don't know whether I'll believe you," Alex replies, splaying his hand across Luke's back and licking at his lips.

"Okay." Luke smiles down at his husband. "Your most annoying habit is your inability to believe how amazing and truly wonderful you are and that you fully deserve all the amazing and wonderful things that come your way."

For a long moment, Alex is speechless, his eyes soft and adoring as he stares up at his husband. "Just you," he says softly, recalling the night Luke said those same magic words to him. "You're all the amazing and wonderful that I need."

This time, it's possible that even Kathy melts. Just a little.  



End file.
